When Mr Koh Leng Kiat passed away last month aged 83, his children and Indian step-children held a traditional Taoist funeral for him, despite not being familiar with the customs.
But the funeral is the least remarkable part of this story. It is what Mr Koh did in life that inspires admiration. In the late 1960s, Mr Koh met Mdm Meena Jaganathan, a widow left to raise 8 young children by herself. Mr Koh was her supervisor. He helped buy goods for the family and helped them with finances. Over time, love blossomed. They married in 1970, despite his parents’ objection.
Mr Koh took in 8 step-children, and loved and raised them as his own alongside the 4 children he had with Mdm Meena. Language was no barrier – she spoke to him in Tamil, and he addressed her and the children in Malay. They celebrated Chinese New Year and Deepavali, and in time Hari Raya and Christmas too, as the children grew up and found spouses of different races.
It is a wonderful tale of love transcending racial and religious boundaries. I did not know him, but this uniquely Singaporean romance, and Mr Koh’s exemplary love for his family, moved me. My condolences to the family of the late Mr Koh. – LHL
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The Romance languages, less commonly Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin between the 3rd ... ... <看更多>